In yet another textbook launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday launched IRNSS-1E, the fifth of the seven-satellite Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) into space.
ISRO’s workhorse PSLV C-31 rocket
lifted the 1,425 kg satellite from the second launchpad of the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre here at 9.31 a.m. and placed it in the intended
orbit some 19 minutes later. This is ISRO’s first launch for this year.
Though
it was a textbook launch, the extremely cloudy skies in Sriharikota
deprived the onlookers and journalists of a clear view, as the soaring
rocket was visible only for a few seconds, before clouds engulfed it.
Announcing
that the launch was a success, ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said the
national space agency had a long way to go since two more satellites
were to be launched by March.
Director of Satish
Dhawan Space Centre P. Kunhikrishnan called the launch a “New Year gift”
to the nation and said the calendar was hectic for the space agency
this year.
With the launch of the first four
satellites — IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C and 1D were launched in July 2013, April
and October, 2014 and March last year respectively — ISRO said, “The
current achieved position accuracy is 20 metres over 18 hours of the day
with four satellites.”
IRNSS-1E with a mission life
of 12 years was launched into a sub geosynchronous transfer orbit with a
284 km perigee (nearest point to Earth) and 20,657 km apogee (farthest
point from Earth) with an inclination of 19.2 degree with reference to
the equatorial plane.
IRNSS-1E carried navigation and
ranging payloads, including a rubidium atomic clock, C-band transponder
and corner cube retro reflectors for laser ranging. The signal-in-space
of four satellites has already been validated by various agencies
within and outside the country.
Source:- The Hindu, 21-Jan-2016
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